HOME SWEET HELL: Barkley Marathons mastermind Gary Cantrell oversees the fiendishly difficult 100-mile race from this campsite in Frozen Head State Park. First-time runners are expected to submit a license plate as part of the entry requirements.

photo by David Luttrell

Race director Gary Cantrell has earned the ire of hundred of runners with his grueling endurance test.

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Odd rituals and artifacts—like this bronze belt buckle, to be awarded to the first runner to break 24 hours (the course record is 55 hours)—have accumulated over the 25-year history of the Barkley Marathons.

Former winner Jonathan Basham prepares breakfast for his crew.

photo by David Luttrell

More than 30 of the race’s 40 starters finished the first of five 20-mile loops this year. Only one, Brett Maune, finished all five loops.

BACK FOR MORE: Alan Abbs (left) and eventual winner Brett Maune head out for the second of five 20-mile loops in the Barkley Marathons.

Runners must tear out pages from books stashed along the trail to prove they ran the whole course.

This year’s second-place runner, Carl Laniak

2001 Winner Blake Wood.

WAITING FOR A WINNER: After more than three days, the anticipation of a finish builds in camp. It’s as exciting as waiting 10 or 12 hours to watch someone run—or walk—a few hundred yards can ever be.

THE AGONY OF VICTORY: Brett Maune fought cold, hail, heat, darkness, and a lack of sleep to finish the 100-mile Barkley Marathons.

FUN RUN: In his first attempt at the race, Brett Maune became just the 10th finisher in the history of the Barkley Marathons.